Head-to-head · 40 cross-admits
When applicants got into both, 98% chose Duke. Side-by-side on admissions, costs, and outcomes — sourced from 40 self-reported decisions and ABA 509 filings.
Choice, not ranking
These are decisions, not opinions. Scholarship offers, location, intended practice, and personal fit are all priced into the split.
Cross-admit decision
Chose Duke
Median scholarship (chose Duke)
Median scholarship (chose USC)
View all-time (126 cross-admits)
Trend · Duke's share
Lowest cycle
Highest cycle
Admissions
Rankings, LSAT/GPA, acceptance & yield 2025 ABA 509
Financial
Sticker price, scholarships, and debt burden 2025 ABA 509
Employment & outcomes
Post-graduation placement and bar passage 2024 ABA Employment
Cross-admit by cycle
How preferences shifted over recent cyclesRelated comparisons
Other popular cross-admit matchups
Overview
About Duke vs USC
Across 40 applicants admitted to both schools and self-reporting on LSD, 98% enrolled at Duke University and 2% at University of Southern California. The split has shifted -20 points across the tracked cycles.
These numbers reflect every factor that goes into a real decision: scholarship offers, geographic preference, intended practice area, and fit. Choosing one school doesn't mean it's "better" — it means the pool of cross-admits, weighing their options, ended up there more often. Pair this with the scholarship distribution and employment outcomes above for full context.
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Detailed comparison narrative
This page compares Duke University and University of Southern California across admissions data, cost of attendance, and employment outcomes — plus cross-admit decision data from 40 applicants admitted to both.
Based on 40 applicants admitted to both schools, 98% chose to attend Duke University. This cross-admit data reflects real enrollment decisions from verified law school applicants on LSD.Law.
In the U.S. News rankings, Duke University is ranked #7 compared to #26 — a gap of 19 positions that often correlates with differences in employment outcomes and peer assessment scores.
Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina, while University of Southern California is in Los Angeles, California. Regional placement matters: graduates tend to find employment near their law school, so location should factor into your decision alongside rankings and cost.
Employment outcomes differ substantially: Duke University places 67.9% of graduates into large law firm positions, compared to 56.6% for the other school. This 11 percentage point gap is significant for applicants targeting BigLaw careers.
Among cross-admitted applicants, University of Southern California offered a median scholarship of $165,000 compared to $105,000, a difference of $60,000 that may factor into enrollment decisions.